TheCelestials
by Maxwell Zwain
Summary: The Celestials is a short story inspired by the tv series Supernatural. It follows a young archangel named Anael who must confront and stop her older brother Drakiel from committing genocide


The Celestials

By

Maxwell Zwain

1

It was a beautiful morning. The sun shining overhead, illuminating the forest below me in magnificent lighting, displaying such a wondrous part of the world, of Earth.

However, I was unable to enjoy such wonders. Normally over the past thousand aeons or so, I could but things constantly change. And sometimes, such change is never a good thing.

Especially, not this.

That day, I stood atop the top of a large mountain deep within a forest, overlooking a magnificent landscape filled with beautiful and perfect looking trees and wondrous plants.

The sounds of bees buzzing around and birds chirping with cool autumn air brushing up softly against the bare arms of the human body which I occupied. Both angels and archangels such as myself could not operate in the physical universe without taking a human vessel and not without his or her consent. And the sights and sounds of this place filled me with awe at the nearly perfect planet Father Created.

Such admiration.

However, despite the cool, autumn air brushing up against the pale skin of my human form, I couldn't enjoy this place nearly as much as I had originally wanted to. Not as much as I had every time I visited this landscape for the past several aeons. I had my trepidations about the events that were to unfold and take place and I hoped Father would forgive me.

My name is Anael (pronounced An-Eye-El). As I stated before, I am an archangel. Archangels are the very First Celestial Beings ever Created and amongst God's First Creations, each controlling a different aspect of Nature. I am the youngest of the Five Archangels, Mikael (the Archangel of Light), Semyazza(The Archangel of Darkness), Drakiel (The Archangel of Fire), Emylia (The Archangel of Water) and myself (The Archangel of Wind). Together, we have existed long before the Creation of the Universe. For a very long time we looked after each other and took care of each other in ways most people wouldn't understand.

And once Father Created the Seraphim, the Powers (Celestial Generals, in a sense), the Grigori (Watcher Angels) and regular, everyday angels, our family grew and we were happy. Once the Universe was Created, we did what we could to make sure it survived. Fighting to protect Heaven and everything Our Father Created from horrific reptilian abominations invading the Universe from another Dimension.

I was especially close to my older brother, Drakiel. He looked after me, protected me, teaching me how to become a powerful being. For the aeons that followed the Creation of the Universe, the stars and worlds, everything came crashing down. Our family that I loved so much seemed to collapse around me in spectacular fashion.

2

It began when Our Father Created the planet known as Earth. In the Beginning of the World, Earth was perfect in more than a trillion different ways. However, then came the moment when Father Created what He would call, Humanity. Most of us saw Humankind as flawed but—nevertheless--a work of art and gladly obeyed Father's Command to bow before Humanity and love them as we loved Him.

But that was when an evil, a Darkness that lurked within my older brother like a parasite, Semyazza whom God loved most of all us Celestials, came out in the form of the darkest and deadliest of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Darkness in him gave birth to Envy.

When Semyazza refused to acknowledge humanity and love them as we loved God, it ignited the horrific Angel Civil War that threatened to bring us all to the brink of extinction and destroy the very fabric of the Universe until Mikael used his power to banish Semyazza from Heaven and imprisoning him neck deep within the Pits of Hell. But not before the Fallen One infiltrated the Garden of Eden, tempting mankind and releasing the concept of evil into the world.

For millions of years after the terrible War, things changed. I have been in charge of a Garrison of special Celestials known as Guardian Angels; otherwise known as the Grigori. Their job was to watch over and protect all humans and especially the humans most important to Heaven known as Prophets, future Leaders of Mankind with the power of foresight. Think psychics but with more accurate precisions.

Some battles we won, some we lost but for millions of years we maintained a balance that ensured the safety of humankind for aeons.

Unfortunately, I was old enough to know that since the Angel Civil War, nothing lasted forever. Especially not the good.

3

Even though Semyazza betrayed us all and cost the lives of so many of Celestial Kind, I still loved him. I loved all my family despite our imperfections and the infighting. They were all I had, yet I couldn't bear to watch them fighting each other so I hid on Earth until the End of the War.

For billions and billions of years, I was loyal to Mikael, Semyazza, Drakiel and Emylia. But not even that love and loyalty I had for them could have lasted forever. I hated it but it was a hard truth to swallow.

I have taken an interest in humans since they were Created. Humans had the ability to sing and to dance and love and forgive and they really did try their hardest. To do better, to correct their mistakes and to forgive. Whereas my older brother, Drakiel...he became different overtime. He became different in a way that I hadn't foreseen.

With Drakiel, it was as though the same Darkness that infected Semyazza now infected a brother whom I was always close to.

The year was 2021 and for six months, Grigori under my watch had started being killed in horrific ways, leaving humans and Prophets they were in charge of protecting to suffer horribly gruesome fates. And it was something that I couldn't allow to continue. The balance we maintained for several aeons had to be protected.

For six long months, Drakiel covered his tracks very well, making it harder and harder for me to find him. But I knew it was him even though every atom of my being wanted to believe that it was just a Demon or Daemonium that Semyazza himself Created upon his imprisonment in Hell for all eternity.

But Drakiel and I were close enough-fighting by each other, teaching each other new tricks and powers, protecting each other-that I knew he was the one responsible for slaughtering members of Our Family, albeit it both Celestials and Humankind alike.

Which led me to the mountain top where I confronted my brother. Dreading the inevitable conflict I foresaw but wanted to avoid. I had a sick feeling within the pit of my stomach that one of us was going to die.

Would it be Drakiel?

Or would it be me?

4

"This is such a beautiful part of the world, isn't it, sister?" Drakiel pointed out, keeping his back to me. The human body Drakiel's essence housed was a bald, dark skinned man who looked to be in his forties but was much older since Drakiel has used the same body since 1721.

The body I inhabited was that of an eighteen year old girl with pale skin and she had smooth, ginger-red hair and emerald green eyes. When I took this body, she—Alexis Rhodes, was her name—had been mortally wounded by gunfire from gang violence. I offered to save her via taking control of her body and saved her from death and allowed her consciousness—her Soul, if you will—to remain in a pleasant memory where she would experience Heaven-like happiness forever. Or as long as I existed.

But there was no happiness for me these days. Not since I found out Drakiel had been killing Our Own Kind. "Brother, please tell me it's not true," I pleaded, standing within a few feet from Drakiel. "Please tell me it isn't true." I felt a tear trickling down my right eye.

Drakiel turned to me and-at that moment-in that instant, I knew my suspicions of him were true. The same Darkness that infected Semyazza now infected my beloved brother, Drakiel. In his dark, aqua blue eyes, there was no sense of sympathy, no remorse. Just pure vileness.

"Have you ever mulled over why we must be protecting these inferior creatures, Anael?" Drakiel asked me. His voice came across as patient and calm to me but also, it was oozing with venomous contempt at the same time when referring to humans.

"Humans are not inferior, brother," I told him firmly, feeling my hands clenching into fists, tightly. Bracing myself. "And nothing gives you the right to kill our brothers and sisters."

Drakiel scoffed, eyes narrowing at me. "Anyone who protects these insects deserve to die. Do you remember how the 20thCentury went, little sister? All those wars and blood and chaos? Remember what Germany did decades ago? How can you honestly believe this 21st Century is going by any better, Anael?"

It was a sad but true factoid. "It's true the humans are not perfect, brother," I admitted, "and they are often cruel to one another and killed and lied and cheated and stole."

Drakiel smiled at this. "Finally!" He shouted, joyfully. "Someone with enough sense to understand me. I always knew there was a reason why I favored you above our Archangel brethren, sister."

I held my hand up, stopping Drakiel as he took one step towards me. "I'm not done," I knew he wasn't going to be happy with my following words, but I didn't care. "But you, Semyazza, you both fail to see that there is more good in humanity than there is evil. The Darkness in you blinds you, brother, to the truth that a lot of them try. To do better. To forgive."

Drakiel's jaws clenched and his eyes narrowed once more. "You fail to see that they are better than us!"

Drakiel snapped. "Humans are nothing but broken, flawed, bags of puss! They deserve nothing but extermination."

A katana-like sword made of angelic silver shimmered in my right hand. I clutched the hilt of the blade as a sword of Drakiel's materialized in his hand, as well. "Are you really willing to die for a pile of cockroaches?" Drakiel asked. "You and I together could purge this planet and return it to its untainted glory. Please reconsider, sister."

I held my ground. "I'm sorry, brother. I truly am. I love you with every atom of my being but I cannot allow you to commit genocide."

Drakiel sighed. "Then this, is on you."

5

Drakiel formed a ball of angelfire in his other hand and launched it at me. I swiftly ducked as it hit the tree behind me, causing it to explode into flames before Drakiel launched himself at me like a fast moving missile, swinging his sword, aiming to decapitate me. I barely managed to match my older brother's speed and swiftness as our swords clashed and clanged together like a hammer smashing against pieces of sheet metal.

Sparks flying every direction. Drakiel kept swiping and swiping at me with such ferocity before stopping abruptly, backing off. "You seem a bit slower than I remember, Anael," he noted. "Let's see if you can do better."

Drakiel casually tossed his sword aside before swiping his hand across empty air and I felt my body flying backwards, crashing into several trees-knocking over one after another-until I found myself pinned up against a tree. Drakiel's telekinetic prowess pinning me forcibly against the tree like a massive anvil pressing against my body, keeping me from moving.

I struggled but was unprepared when Drakiel suddenly appeared in front of me. He reached out with one hand, and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, wrapping the fabric of my shirtfront around his fist. Only then was I pulled from the tree and suspended up in the air by my shirt, grasping onto Drakiel'swrist as my feet dangled several feet in the air.

"I really expected much better from you," Drakiel critiqued glancing down from my feet, up to the bare skin of my stomach, exposed by his hold on my shirt and back to my eyes as I struggled uselessly to free myself from him. "Haven't I taught you anything?"

Drakiel kept me in the air by my shirt for several more seconds and threw me down to the ground on the exposed skin of my stomach as my shirt rode up before kicking me hard in the ribs once. He went to kick me again but I grabbed onto his foot and angrily slammed him hard against a tree, knocking it over.

On his back, Drakiel cackled. "Now you are starting to show some potential." He said, "But will it be enough?" He shot to his feet in a blur and threw another fistful of angelfire at me.

Coming at me fast, I barely managed to avoid the brunt of the attack with only my left ankle getting scorched. I rolled aside on my knees as Drakiel threw another ball of angelfire at me. This time, I conjured up a strong enough gust of hurricane-forcewinds which was able to knock the angelfire back at Drakiel, blasting him in the chest.

Drakiel screamed as he was knocked back several feet by his own attack. The chest of his human body was left with a massive scorch mark on it and anger and rage written all over his face. "That's how you want to play it?!" He snarled. "Fine!"

From Drakiel's back sprouted black, shadow-like wings in the shape of a dragon. "I am the Dragon and I will be the one who exterminates every single threat to this world albeit human or angel!" He declared as he took to the skies, flying towards me.

6

My own shining, translucent wings emerged from my back and I took to the sky just as Drakiel's fist slammed to the ground. The force of the blow shook the Earth, cracking the ground like an egg before launching himself back up at me, colliding with me with the force of a massive sonic boom!

Spinning around in the air, we grasped each other's throats. I didn't know how long it lasted and I knew I was losing energy the more I struggled with Drakiel. And my theory was proven unfortunately correct when Drakiel easily threw me down to the ground several hundred feet in the air.

I gasped when my body crashed to the ground with the force of a small meteor crashing to the ground. The very Earth shuttered and dust and debris clouded the very air around me as I barely managed to maintain my hold on my consciousness, trying not to blackout.

I lost.

Drakiel won. Again.

7

My brother towered triumphantly over me, smiling smugly. "You never were strong enough to beat me, little sister," he said as he reached down and grabbed the front of my shirt in one hand, bunching up the fabric in a large handful as he lifted me up in the air, my hands hanging at my sides as my shirt rode up just an inch with my feet dangling. "But I will always admire your bravery, Anael."

I glanced down and saw Drakiel holding his archangel sword in his free hand, keeping me suspended in the air by the shirt. Getting ready to impale me in the stomach unless I acted fast.

To which, I realized Drakiel's only weakness. The same weakness that led to Semyazza being imprisoned in Hell.

It was his arrogance. And he inadvertently gave me what I needed to end this, despite my best efforts to avoid such an outcome.

"Goodbye, little sister," Drakiel sneered as he moved to impale me in my stomach. Fortunately, while I was never able to beat Drakiel in a fight, he was always one to underestimate the fact that I was faster than he was.

I swiftly kicked Drakiel in the gut, freeing myself and snatched onto Drakiel's own blade, turning it on him and jamming it right in his heart!

Drakiel gasped and dropped me. Mouth open agape with surprise. "But how?" He asked, skin cracking like an egg. "Im-impossible!"

"Not quite. Next time, don't let your pride get the better of you, brother," I said before violently twisting Drakiel's own sword in his heart and he screamed. Light exploded out of his mouth and eyes as his human body slowly turned to stone and exploded into a pile of dust and ashes.

I exhaled as silence descended around me.

I wished it hadn't ended this way. I wished there was a way for Drakiel to have been redeemed. But the harsh truth was, the more Darkness infected a person, the more it tempted them, the less chance of redemption there would be.

Strangely enough, I felt no remorse when I killed Drakiel. When it comes right down to it, I would always choose to side with humans. Father Created them for a reason and it was my job to ensure they survived.

Even if it had meant turning against my own family.

No matter how much it pained me to do so.

THE

END


End file.
